Ismael Kone was seen wincing in pain and left the field on a stretcher amid rousing cheers of support from thousands of home fans. | Photo Credit: AP

Ismael Kone is likely to miss the rest of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after he suffered a horrific ankle injury during Canada’s group-stage match against Qatar on Thursday.

The Sassuolo midfielder has reportedly fractured his fibula and tibia and is expected to be out for more than three months, ruling him out of the quadrennial tournament.

Kone was brought down by Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo in the 53rd minute, with the offender shown a red card soon after. Kone was seen wincing in pain and left the field on a stretcher amid rousing cheers of support from thousands of home fans.

Nathan Saliba replaced the injured and scored a brilliant goal from a free-kick – the first such strike in this World Cup – before raising Kone’s jersey to dedicate the goal to him.

Canada’s coach Jesse Marsch later revealed that Madibo came to their dressing room and apologised to Kone for the challenge.

Qatar conceded six goals against the co-host in what was its heaviest defeat in the World Cup and is all but out of the tournament, sitting bottom of Group A.

Canada, on the other hand, enjoyed its maiden win in the World Cup, riding on a hat-trick by Jonathan David. It ends the group-stage against Switzerland on June 25 and already has one foot in the round of 32.

Published on Jun 19, 2026